


Fake

by SharkGirl



Series: Year of Shance [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: And VerAcxa Side Pairing, Blushing, Canon Side Pairings, Cat Ears, Cat/Human Hybrids, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Monsters & Mana (Voltron), Mutual Pining, Pining, Post-Episode: s06e03 Monsters & Mana, Purring, Scent Marking, Sharing a Bed, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 15:34:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17852294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: He could easily see himself becoming part of their family.But Gyro shook his head. That was all pretend. Fake. He and Pike were no closer now than they were before beginning this quest. And, for a reason Gyro was trying desperately to ignore, that made him incredibly sad.The sequel toPretend.





	Fake

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry this took a bit longer than expected, but here's the continuation of [Pretend](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17761796)~  
> Ah, nothing like a Pike/Gyro fake dating fic XD
> 
> I'd like to thank Silly JillyBean for giving me an awesome idea!  
> And, of course, my lovely beta Jes for being her amazing self ♥
> 
> We get to meet the rest of Pike's family in this one. I think I made them all obvious, but you can see who's who in the notes. Who's...whom. Who's whomst.  
> Also, I had fun making up things about felinoids, borrowing from other animal hybrids and such. Just go with it~ Hehe.

They’d done it! They’d made it through the felinoid territory, past the palms in the enchanted grove, and to the golden egg. And now, with their treasure safely stowed away in Valayun’s subspace pocket, they were marching their way back north. Only…

Only Pike was lagging toward the back.

Actually, now that Gyro thought about it, Pike had been rather mopey since they’d met with his family. Which was strange, being that they’d succeeded in their mission. Well, not quite. They still had a family dinner – err, breakfast? – to attend.

Maybe Pike was nervous about introducing Gyro to the rest of his family. Or maybe – a deeper, darker part of Gyro’s mind supplied – Pike was not looking forward to pretending to be with Gyro again.

If he was honest, getting to spend some one-on-one time with Pike had been really nice. Gyro had discovered that his party member could purr – which was so unbelievably adorable, though Gyro knew better than to mention it again. Yet, anyway.

And meeting Pike’s older sister, niece, and nephew had been great. The kids were really sweet, especially with how they’d called him ‘Uncle Gyro.’ He could easily see himself becoming part of their family.

But Gyro shook his head. That was all pretend. Fake. He and Pike were no closer now than they were before beginning this quest. And, for a reason Gyro was trying desperately to ignore, that made him incredibly sad.

“I can’t believe there wasn’t anything guarding the egg,” Block spoke up. “I mean, there’s always something guarding treasures,” he added.

“It did seem rather easy,” Valayun noted.

“Easy for _you_ ,” Pike muttered under his breath, though Gyro heard it.

“Maybe getting through the felinoid territory was the hard part,” Meklavar suggested. “I mean, if we didn’t have Pike, we’d be in pretty big trouble.”

Now Gyro definitely knew something was wrong because Pike would have normally taken the opportunity to say something like, ‘Ah, couldn’t do it without me, huh, Mek?’ or ‘Just another one of my many valuable traits’ or the like.

But he remained silent. And even the other party members noticed the strange mood.

“But, uh, now we get free dinner, right?” Block said. “I can’t wait to try some felinoid delicacies.”

Pike froze mid-step, his ears flattening against his head and his tail puffing up. “Oh no…” he lamented, biting his lip.

“Whatever is the matter, Pike?” Valayun asked, knitting her brows.

“I forgot about dinner,” Pike breathed, wetting his lips. “I’d been so distracted by-” He glanced up at Gyro and then quickly averted his gaze. “I just…forgot.”

Gyro’s stomach twisted unpleasantly. So, Pike _had_ been regretting his choice in mate, after all. _Pretend_ mate, he reminded himself. Which hurt even more, because Pike didn’t even like the idea of being paired with Gyro in any capacity.

“Well, it shouldn’t be too big a deal,” Meklavar said. “I mean, you told us you convinced your big sister and she was the hardest, right?”

Pike nodded. Then his eyes went wide. “I just realized something,” he breathed, this time holding Gyro’s gaze when their eyes met. “There’s no way she really believed me.”

“What do you mean?” Valayun questioned. “You said-”

“I know what I said,” Pike replied. “But Curtana said she could smell Gyro coming.”

“Yeah,” Block said, quirking a thick brow. “She could smell all of us-”

“But she shouldn’t have smelled him!” Pike argued, throwing his arms out. “If Gyro and I were truly mates, she wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between our scents.” He paled, his arms falling to rest at his sides. “Oh, Great Moons, she knows.”

Block and Meklavar exchanged looks before the latter spoke. “Uh, Pike, as much as I didn’t believe you capable of such, you _might_ be overthinking-”

“I’m not!” Pike interrupted. “She’s probably told the whole family I’m a fraud and is just waiting for us to waltz back in so she can point it out.” His fangs came out to worry at his lower lip.

Gyro opened his mouth, wanting to say something, anything to soothe the other’s worries.

“Pike,” Valayun began. “Our senses are not as keen as yours,” she said. “Perhaps you could better explain your concerns?”

It was true. All Gyro knew was that he liked the way Pike smelled.

“Mated pairs should smell almost exactly the same,” Pike said. “I didn’t even think to scent Gyro before we walked onto my family’s land.” He held his head in his hands, his tail whipping wildly behind him in agitation. “I could kick myself.”

“Well…” Block stepped forward, placing a hand on Pike’s shoulder. “Couldn’t you just, uh…scent him now?” he suggested.

Pike peered at their healer through his fingers before lowering his hands. “That…” He turned toward Gyro, his eyes flashing. “That might work!”

And just as Gyro began to wonder just what this ‘scenting’ entailed, Pike was on him, leaping into his arms and sending them both sprawling onto the ground. Gyro didn’t even have a chance to sit back up, because Pike had caged him in with his long limbs and was now very deliberately _rubbing_ himself all over him.

Gyro wasn’t sure what to do with his hands, so he left them at his sides, his fists clenched tightly as Pike moved against his body, slithering up so their faces were level. Gyro’s breath caught. Pike’s eyes were half-lidded, his pupils blown as he ducked down and brushed his neck against Gyro’s.

And it was then that Gyro heard it. A low, pleasant rumbling.

Pike was purring again.

Something about the sound was so soothing, it caused Gyro to relax. He let his eyelids slip closed as Pike pressed their bodies impossibly closer together. Then, as soon as it had started, it was done. Pike finished ‘scenting’ him and was back on his feet, leaving a flushed Gyro to blink up at him in dazed confusion.

“Wow, that was…” Meklavar began, but never finished.

“I can see why such an act is reserved for lovers,” Valayun added, her own cheeks tinted pink.

“What?” Pike gaped for a moment and then turned a brilliant shade of red, as if finally realizing what he’d just done. “No-no-no-no-no.” He waved his hands frantically in front of him. “Scenting is a familial thing. It’s not necessarily-” He paused, biting his lip. “I mean, yeah, mates do it a lot, but so do parents. Just, when my mom does it, it’s not quite as-”

“Sensual?” Meklavar finished for him, arching a brow as she swung her axe over her shoulder. “Just do us a favor and, if you have to scent Gyro again, please kindly _get a room_ ,” she ordered with a roll of her eyes and then began walking back toward his family’s house.

Gyro was still on the ground, his face even hotter than before. So, he wasn’t the _only_ one who’d thought Pike’s behavior was a little… more than was to be expected.

“It wasn’t-” Pike began. “I didn’t mean-” But Valayun and Block just shook their heads, muttering slightly uncomfortable reassurances as they jogged to catch up with Meklavar.

She sure moved fast for having such short legs.

Suddenly, there was a clawed hand directly in front of Gyro’s face. He went cross-eyed to focus on it before following up the arm to meet Pike’s somewhat worried gaze.

“Sorry,” he apologized, giving his hand a little shake, his bracelets jingling softly.

Gyro took the hint and accepted the offered help, taking Pike’s hand and allowing the other to pull him to his feet.

“I really am sorry,” Pike said once they started off after the others.

Gyro flushed as the memory of Pike rubbing his entire body against his flashed in his mind at the mention. But he shook his head. “It’s all right,” he said. “Now I can say I’ve been scent-marked, right?” He gave an awkward chuckle that petered out toward the end when he saw Pike’s solemn expression.

“No, I’m sorry for everything,” Pike sighed. “But we just have to make it through dinner and we can pretend none of this ever happened, okay?” He looked up, his dark blue eyes wide and imploring.

Gyro’s chest gave a painful twinge. He knew from the beginning that this was all fake. But to see Pike is such a hurry to get it over and done with was more upsetting than he realized it would be.

“Of course,” Gyro said, placing a hand on Pike’s shoulder and giving it a few slaps before awkwardly drawing back. “We should hurry so we don’t fall too far behind the others.”

Pike lowered his gaze and swallowed before silently nodding.

Not the reaction Gyro had been expecting.

“Let’s go,” Pike whispered almost too quietly to hear before marching forward, his ears back and his tail hanging limply behind him.

Unsure what to say or do, Gyro followed, his arms aching to wrap around Pike and hold him until he never made that sad sort of face ever again.

 

They reached Pike’s childhood home by nightfall. And it was no surprise that several more of his family members were up and about, including his older sister, niece, and nephew that Gyro had met earlier that afternoon.

“Uncle Gyro!” the twins ran forward, attaching themselves to each of Gyro’s legs and keeping him from taking another step. “We knew you’d come back!”

“Of course, he did,” Curtana, Pike’s eldest sister, stepped forward, a knowing smile curving her lips. “He promised he’d join us for breakfast.” Then, as she drew closer, she wrinkled her nose and pulled a face before covering both it and her mouth completely. “Great Moons, Pike,” she complained, shooting him a look. “He already smelled like you before. You didn’t need to mark him so heavily.” She lowered her hand. “Did you honestly think one of us would try to steal him or something?”

Gyro raised his brows. He’d already smelled like Pike before? But Pike had made it clear that he’d forgotten to scent him. So, that was… odd. Right?

“Uncle Pike probably just likes to cuddle with Uncle Gyro,” his nephew said.

“Yeah,” his niece added. “Ooh, maybe we can cuddle with Uncle Gyro, too!”

“Dart! Flechette!” someone called, drawing their attention. A human woman was making her way over, a disapproving look on her face. “Get off that man.” She put her hands on her hips.

“But Mom-”

“It’s rude to jump on complete strangers.” She sighed. “Where’s your father?”

“Darling!” A large half-felinoid walked outside and embraced her. He must have been Pike’s older brother. He paused, cocking his head to the side. “Okay. What did the kids do?”

“They’re climbing all over this man,” she sighed, gesturing toward Gyro before meeting his gaze. “I’m so sorry. And to someone visiting…”

“It’s fi-” Gyro began, but was cut off.

“He’s not just visiting,” her husband interrupted. “He’s Pike’s mate,” he explained, tilting up his chin and scenting the air. His eyes widened a fraction before he smirked. “And they’re newlyweds by the smell of it.”

Gyro’s face felt like it was on fire. He glanced toward Pike for help, but saw that he, too, was bright red.

“Pilum-” Pike started, his tail puffing up.

“I get it.” Pilum waved him off. “Thankfully, the wife and kids can’t really pick up on it. Because, no offense…” He turned toward Gyro. “You reek.”

That only caused Gyro’s face to heat further. Pike certainly had been _thorough_ , hadn’t he?

“So, are you going to introduce us?” Pilum asked, slapping Pike hard on the back before jerking a thumb over his shoulder toward the rest of their party. “And to your friends, too?”

“Right.” Pike cleared his throat. “Everyone, this is my oldest brother Pilum, his wife Lisa, and their kids, Dart and Flechette.” He gestured toward them. “And I see you’ve already met my sister, Curtana.”

Just then, another person came out of the house. She was not felinoid, but wasn’t human either. Her skin was light blue and she had ears similar to Valayun’s. “Curtana,” she began, her eyes zeroing in on Pike’s sister. “Your mother said breakfast is almost ready.” She paused, noting that Pike, Gyro, and the others were there. “I’ll inform her that our guests have arrived.”

“Thanks, Kris,” Curtana answered, moving closer to her. No other words were exchanged, but Kris lifted her arm for Curtana to take, allowing her to press her wrist against her neck. Then she walked back into the house, just as Curtana shot Pike a not-so-conspicuous look before following after her.

Apparently, that was the _acceptable_ way to scent one’s mate. Or, at least, that’s what Meklavar seemed to understand it as – and vocalize as such.

Pike finished their party’s introductions, just barely – though noticeably – stumbling over the bit about Gyro being his mate. And even though it was all fake, Gyro still smiled at how flustered Pike got. It was really cute.

The twins had unlatched themselves from Gyro’s legs when their mother told them to go inside and wash up, she and her husband following right behind, leaving their party alone once more.

“Wow, your family is really-” Block started, but Pike cut him off.

“I know. But it’s just breakfast and then we can go,” he said apologetically.

But Block frowned. “I wasn’t going to say-”

“Let’s just get this over with,” Pike lamented, sneaking a glance toward Gyro before focusing on his front door.

Gyro’s shoulders sagged. He didn’t like seeing Pike is distress. And knowing he was partly to blame cut deep. He wanted this to be over quickly so Pike would no longer feel uncomfortable. But, at the same time, he wanted it to last just a bit longer. Call it selfish, but he really didn’t mind playing the part of Pike’s mate.

“Hey,” Gyro began, crossing over and wrapping an arm around the thief’s shoulders. “It’ll be all right,” he breathed into his ear, causing Pike to visibly shiver. Gyro immediately made to apologize. “I’m-”

“Y-Yeah,” Pike replied shakily. “It’s just…” He looked up and then back at his shoes. “Hard.”

“Yeah,” Gyro echoed. “But, I just want you to know, I really like your family.” He gave Pike a reassuring squeeze. “They’re very nice.”

Pike snorted. “You haven’t seen the half of them.”

Gyro was about to ask what he meant, but it was at that moment that a short, plump, and very cat-like woman burst out of the front door. She was definitely full felinoid, looking less human than the rest of Pike’s family, with more fur on her body and round pads on her fingers and the palm of her hand.

“Pikey!” she called before running over to him and wrapping her arms around his middle. She easily lifted him into to air – impressive for her small stature – and then lowered him down. “Let me get a good look at you,” she said, pressing her clawed hands to his face and turning him from side to side. “Oh, you’re even more handsome than when you left.”

“Mamá…” he groaned, trying to pull free.

“Oh, no,” she stopped him, pushing his cheeks together and holding him in place. “My baby finally comes home after running away, I get to look at him all I like.” Though, after a moment, she did let him go in favor of turning her attention on Gyro. “And is this your mate, Pikey?”

Gyro had a feeling she already knew – what with the ‘extreme scenting’ and all – but he nodded and allowed Pike to introduce him.

“Gyro,” she breathed his name as if committing it memory. “Welcome to the family!” Then she gathered him up in her small arms and squeezed him tight.

“Nice to meet you,” Gyro wheezed when she released him. “Mrs. Sovnya.”

“Oh, call me Mom.” She batted a paw at his chest. “I’m so glad to finally meet my Pikey’s mate.” His mother turned toward the house. “Manny, come out here! Pikey’s home!” A rather lanky, older man stepped out of the house. “Gyro, this is Pike’s father. He’s a human like you.” She turned toward Pike and winked. “He has his mother’s taste, of course.”

“ _Mamá…_ ” Pike repeated, his face looking as red as Gyro’s felt.

“I’m Emmanuel. Nice to meet you, Gyro,” he greeted him with a firm handshake. “I just got home a little while ago, but my wife has been working on breakfast all evening,” he said. “We’re honored you’ll be joining us.” He turned toward Meklavar, Valayun, and Block – finally addressing them. “All of you.”

“We’ve been looking forward to it!” Block replied, his mouth visibly watering.

“Yes, thank you for having us!” Valayun grinned.

“We appreciate the meal,” Meklavar added.

“Well then, let’s all go inside,” Pike’s mother suggested, her tail flicking excitedly behind her. “I hope you all brought your appetites!”

 

Authentic felinoid cuisine, as Gyro found out, was not too unlike what they found at inns and pubs. The main difference was that everything was much bigger. Eggs, fish, slabs of meat. All of them were significantly larger than what they usually got to eat.

“This is amazing,” Block praised as he served himself another plate. “Mrs. Sovnya, what is that spice I’m tasting?”

“Oh, it’s a local herb,” she explained. “I grow it in the garden if you’d like to take some with you?” she offered and Block jumped to his feet.

“That would be wonderful,” he said.

“I’ll go get you some,” she began, but Block was already by her side, offering to escort her as not to be rude. Which was just as well, since the breakfast table was extremely crowded. Everyone had a place, but it was definitely tight with their party members joining.

And partway through the meal, two more of Pike’s family members joined them, each looking as though they’d only just woken up.

“…v’nin’” a man who looked like an older version of Pike greeted and then paused, his nostrils flaring. He turned toward Gyro, his eyes widening a fraction before he smirked – giving Gyro a sense of déjà vu. “So, you finally brought home a mate, huh, Pikey?”

Pike groaned from his place beside Gyro, but didn’t answer.

“Since he’s not going to introduce me,” he began, reaching across the table to offer Gyro his hand. “I’m Pike’s older brother, Bill.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bill,” Gyro replied. “To meet all of you,” he extended when he noticed the rest of the Sovnyas’ eyes on him, including the other half-felinoid who’d walked into the room.

She, too, looked a lot like Pike – another sister, maybe? – but she had long, curly hair that stuck up in every direction as if she hadn’t bothered to brush it after getting out of bed. Though, the moment her gaze fell on Gyro, she quickly darted out of the room.

Gyro opened his mouth to question her sudden disappearance, but she was back in an instant, her curls perfectly groomed. “Hello, hello,” she greeted, her eyes flashing at him. “And who is this?”

“Little Pikey finally brought his mate home,” Bill answered. “You owe me five gold pieces, by the way.”

Pike growled low in the back of his throat and Gyro once again felt the urge to comfort him, but he wasn’t sure if touching him now, at the breakfast table, surrounded by his entire family, would be appropriate.

“You’re Pike’s mate?” she asked, giving a little pout. “That’s too bad…”

“Speaking of mates,” Pike interjected. “Where’s _yours_ , Corseque?”

Corseque lifted her chin and stuck her delicately curved nose in the air. It was a very Pike-like thing to do and Gyro found the corners of his lips curving up without his permission. He didn’t want to give her the wrong idea.

“Oh, he’s off on another quest with his party,” she said, falling into one of the chairs and helping herself to a plate. “He promised to bring me back something sparkly this time.” She grinned, flashing her pearly white fangs.

“Do you also collect rare items?” Valayun asked excitedly and then cleared her throat, looking a little embarrassed. “I mean, I’m a fan of crystals and precious stones, myself.”

“Corseque’s got a dragon’s hoard in her bedroom,” Curtana answered for her. “I’m sure she’d _love_ to show it to you.”

And even though Corseque sent her sister a quick glare, she was all smiles again. “Yes, actually. I would, Miss…?”

“Valayun,” she introduced. “Perhaps after dinner—er—breakfast?”

“Sure!” she agreed. They then fell into easy conversation regarding various gems they’d collected.

Gyro went back to clearing his plate, but only after checking to make sure that Pike was no longer on edge. He did seem a bit calmer and had resumed eating, so Gyro breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed a second helping of a large, blueish fried egg.

It seemed as though their party had been warmly welcomed into the Sovnya home. Block had spent the rest of the evening helping Pike’s mother in the kitchen, even enlisting Meklavar, who was promised a look at some very interesting plants in the garden. Valayun and Corseque disappeared before anyone realized. And Pilum and Lisa bid them goodnight, so they could put the kids to bed.

Now all who remained at the table were Gyro, Pike, his father, Bill, Curtana, and Curtana’s mate, Kris.

“You should retire,” Kris said to Curtana. “You stayed up all day. You must be exhausted.”

“I’d argue, but you’re right,” she replied. She turned toward Gyro. “Thanks for coming back to meet the family. It means a lot.”

“Of course,” Gyro made to stand up, but she waved her hand in dismal, her ears twitching and her tail swishing behind her. “Relax, you’re probably tired, too.”

“That’s right!” Bill noted. “You’re human. It must be getting pretty late for you.”

“I’ll say,” Pike’s father said with a yawn. “I think I’ll head to bed, too.” He stood up, but before he left the room, he added, “Pike, you and your party are welcome to stay the night.”

The idea of sleeping _indoors_ was tempting. But Gyro didn’t want to make Pike more uncomfortable than he already was. However, he didn’t get to object, as Pike’s mother was already back in the room.

“Yes, you must stay! It’s been so long!” She wiped her hands on a dishrag and then wrapped her arms around Pike’s neck. “I’m not letting you get away so easily this time,” she added for good measure.

“It would be nice not to have to camp out…again,” Meklavar said from the doorway.

“And I’d like to thank you by cooking breakfast in the morning,” Block said and then paused, scratching his head. “I mean…dinner?”

“That sounds great,” Pike’s mother agreed. “You can stay with Bill,” she offered. “His mate is hibernating, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Bill agreed, standing up and escorting Block out.

“And you’re welcome to stay in our guest bedroom, Meklavar,” she said. “It’s just down the stairs and to the right.”

“I’ll take her,” Pike’s father offered. “I’m heading that way.”

Just then, Corseque poked her head into the dining room. “Valayun is staying with me!” she said and she was gone, the two giggling as they disappeared back down the hall.

“And that just leaves Gyro,” Pike said as he, too, stood up and pushed in his chair.

“Oh, don’t be silly, Pikey.” His mother tittered, her ears pricking up. “Gyro will sleep with you in your old room.”

Pike and Gyro exchanged glances, but, apparently, there was no argument to be had, as they were all but left alone. The felinoids who were awake had to either go to work or tend to personal matters – now that they weren’t asleep – and their other party members were already taken away to their accommodations for the night.

“I’m really sorry about this,” Pike said as they made their way down the twisting hallway beneath the Sovnya’s main house.

As it turned out, there was as system of tunnels that connected all of their houses. Which made it easy to gather the family together, should they be attacked or in the event of an emergency. But it also allowed the now-grown-up children their privacy.

And Gyro would have been completely fascinated by the quality of the craftsmanship and sheer intricacy of the planning, but he was too focused on the fact that he was on his way to Pike’s childhood bedroom. To spend the night with him. Alone.

Sure, they’d slept side-by-side before when their party was camping out. But that was different. They’d all been huddled together by the fire for warmth, each taking their turn waking up to keep watch.

This was…different.

“It’s just the next door down,” Pike supplied. They’d passed a few doors, which may have been his siblings’ old rooms, perhaps converted to something else since they’d moved out, Gyro wasn’t sure. But he didn’t think too much about it because Pike had come to a stop. “This is it,” he said, his gaze on the floor and his ears folded back. His tail was flicking nervously behind him.

At least Gyro wasn’t the only one.

“Um,” Pike began, but then didn’t finish. Instead, he turned and opened the door, granting them entry.

The room was fairly small, just big enough to fit a twin-size bed, a dresser, a nightstand, and a few shelves. But Gyro’s focus was on the bed, which looked much too narrow for two people.

Pike cleared his throat. “I can sleep on the floor, if you want-”

“I couldn’t let you do that,” Gyro interrupted. “This is your room.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“No, you’re my guest,” Pike argued. “And you’re sort of in the middle of doing me a huge favor, so…”

Oh. Gyro had nearly forgotten. He knew that they weren’t really mates, of course. But after hearing all of Pike’s family members refer to him as such, he was sort of… getting used to it.

He shook his head, banishing the thought. He was only doing this to help Pike out of a tough spot. They were nothing more than party members. They were—

But Gyro’s brain short-circuited when he saw Pike slipping out of his clothes to change for bed.

Again, this was not unusual. One didn’t exact get a lot of privacy in the middle of the Auritan forest. But everything seemed different now and Gyro couldn’t help following the path of the striped markings that began at Pike’s cheeks, trailed down his neck, and crisscrossed on his back before disappearing beneath his baggy breeches.

Quickly tearing his gaze away before Pike noticed his staring, Gyro began divesting himself of his own clothes, starting with his armor. Which, honestly, he should have removed before trying to fit around the dining room table, but a paladin was already prepared to fight valiantly, after all.

Gyro decided to sleep in his undershirt and shorts. It was a little chilly underground, but he was sure the blankets would be enough to keep him warm.

Pike, on the other hand, had changed into soft, silky-looking pajamas. Gyro had never seen him wear them even when they stayed at inns, so they must have been something he’d left behind in his room.

“I’m going to go wash my face,” Pike informed him, grabbing some vials from atop his dresser. “I’ll be back in a few.”

Gyro nodded and followed Pike’s form as he walked out, the door clicking softly shut behind him. And it was then that the long day finally caught up with him.

But Pike hadn’t gotten a chance to set up where Gyro would sleep on the floor – he was adamant about him being the one to do so – so he decided to wait on Pike’s bed until the thief returned.

He took a seat and looked around the room. There were some knickknacks here and there, as well as a few ribbons – awards, perhaps? – affixed to the walls. However, it looked like a lot had been packed up when Pike left.

Gyro’s eyelids began to feel far too heavy to keep open. He wanted to wait for Pike, but it seemed like the other had been gone for ages. So, promising it would only be until Pike got back, Gyro turned onto his side, stretching out on the small bed.

Of course, he was out the moment his head hit the pillow.

 

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, since no sunlight shone underground. But Gyro was pretty sure he hadn’t been asleep for very long. He knew he needed to get out of Pike’s bed, but he froze when he realized he wasn’t alone.

He glanced down and found himself with his arms full of their party’s resident thief.

Pike snored softly, his eyes closed and his lips slightly parted. He looked so relaxed, so at peace, that Gyro didn’t dare wake him. Still, he couldn’t just stay there. The bed was much too small and he’d promised he’d take the floor.

But when he moved his arm, Pike reached out and grabbed it, burrowing further into Gyro’s chest and mumbling something he didn’t quite catch. And Gyro, realizing there was no way he was going anywhere, heaved a sigh.

Admittedly, this was nice. The feel of Pike in his arms, the other’s warm breath puffing against his chest, and his soft, silky hair tickling the skin under Gyro’s chin. It almost felt like it was all real. Though, Gyro was aware it was not. Still… he could take comfort in it for the moment, at least.

And Gyro knew he was going to regret falling back asleep. Because Pike would likely wake before him and question their sleeping arrangements. But as he began to drift off – feeling more than hearing the soft rumbling purrs Pike released – he found that he no longer cared.

**Author's Note:**

> Hehe, surprise bed-sharing!! (except it's in the tags, so...) lol  
> I hope you all liked this part!!
> 
> I also apparently left myself a note on my doc which read, "They're cats that live underground in tunnels, I guess. idek. Deal with it." lol
> 
> As always, please let me know what you think and feel free to hit me up on my Voltron sideblog [@bleucheesy](http://bleucheesy.tumblr.com) or [@bySharkGirl](http://twitter.com/bysharkgirl)!
> 
> Here's the list of Pike's family members:  
> \- I didn't name his mom, lol  
> \- I used the name I usually use for his dad, since he's human  
> \- Pilum is Luis (and Lisa is Lisa, again 'human')  
> \- Dart and Flechette are Sylvio and Nadia  
> \- Curtana is Veronica (and Kris is Acxa)  
> \- Bill is Marco (from 'Bill Hook')  
> \- Corseque is Rachel
> 
> And, yes, all of the felinoids' names are weapons, just like Pike XD  
> Their last name is also a spear-like weapon, but I choose it because Sov **nya** , lol


End file.
